The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses for protecting or recovering data processing systems, such as a laptop or a cellular telephone that has been lost or stolen
Existing methods for protecting data processing systems include encryption of storage devices or encryption of information stored on storage devices. For example, information on a hard drive or flash memory can be encrypted in order to protect the content from discovery by those not intended to see the content. The encryption can be of a portion of the data on a storage device or the entire storage device to the extent that is possible. Another technique which is known in the art for protecting a system is the use of a remotely controlled erase mechanism which can erase data on a stolen or lost system in response to a command sent to the system through a network, such as the Internet or a cellular telephone network. A software product known as “Undercover,” which is available at orbicule.com, can be used to take pictures of a user of a lost or stolen system.